New commissioner: It’s Rob Manfred

Rob Manfred was elected the new commissioner, the 10th in baseball history. He’ll replace Bud Selig, who’ll step aside in January.

Manfred was Selig’s right-hand man for much of his 22 years on the job and Major League Baseball’s leading lawyer since 1998. He negotiated the last three labor deals with the union, preventing any strikes or lockouts. Previously, there were eight straight work stoppages. Manfred also negotiated the drug policy with the players, no easy chore.

Bill DeWitt Jr., Pat Courtney, Allan H. "Bud" Selig, Rob Manfred

From left, St. Louis Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred speak to reporters after team owners elected Manfred as the next commissioner. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

Manfred needed 75 percent of the votes from owners (23 of 30), and several votes were taken before he finally got the 23rd. At that point, a motion was made for a unanimous vote, which occurred. Officially, the final vote was 30-0.

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf supported runner-up Tom Werner, Boston’s chairman, and recruited others to do the same. Angels owner Arte Moreno was aboard, too. There was a sense among hardline owners that Manfred was soft on labor, which is odd considering his track record.

A new labor agreement will be needed after the current one expires Dec. 1, 2016.

“My commitment to owners,” Manfred said when asked about the votes he didn’t initially receive, “is I’d work extra hard to convince all 30 of them they made a great decision today.”

Larry Baer of the Giants and Lew Wolff of the A’s represented the Bay Area teams.

Baer told reporters after the meeting that owners pushed for the new commissioner to work on improving the pace of games.

A third candidate, baseball’s executive VP of business Tim Brosnan, dropped out, knowing it would be a two-man competition. Manfred, 55, thanked Selig at a news conference and will be faced with what Selig hasn’t finished — getting the A’s a new ballpark. Sixty-five months ago, Selig formed a committee to examine the matter. The A’s recently signed a new lease to stay at the Coliseum.

On the subject of the A’s and Rays and other teams in the lower-rent district, Manfred said, “I believe competitive balance is the bedrock of the product we sell.”

Tony Clark, the union’s executive director, said in a statement, “On behalf of the players, I want to congratulate Rob Manfred on being named Major League Baseball’s 10th commissioner. As representative of the players, I look forward to working closely with Rob, the clubs’ representative, as we strive to sustain the growing popularity and prosperity of our great game. Personally, I have known Rob for more than 15 years, and I’m confident that his vast experience in all aspects of the sport will serve his commissionership well.”